Planet Golden Gate.
The round trip took nearly a month. Han Xiao returned to Number One Base with the twenty-four captured ships. The raiders were relatively small, and after the messy paint job on their hulls was removed, they were incorporated into the assault fleet.
The Raven Cannon Class battleships are of the same class as the Frenzied Falcon Class battleships. They are stored in the hangar and will be put into service after repairs are completed.
With the addition of these stolen spaceships, Han Xiao's fleet now numbers nearly one hundred ships, divided into four units. The first is a separate unit of Fortress Class flagships, which are the strategic core. The second is a warship unit composed of Frenzied Falcon Class and Raven Cannon Class ships, responsible for escort and frontal combat. The third is an assault ship unit composed of previously captured DarkStar assault ships and space pirate raiders, known for their speed. The fourth is a leased transport ship unit, used to transport large numbers of personnel.
As for the Blacklight Stealth, it was Han Xiao's personal vehicle, produced by the Federation of Light. Its level and performance far surpassed other ships of the Black Star Army, and Resta did not want too many people to use its body.
Watching the last spaceship dock in the hangar, Han Xiao had Phillip close the hangar door and locked Slaik and the other prisoners in a secret cell at Number One Base.
This cell was constructed from an extremely tough alloy and equipped with a large number of automated defensive weapons, such as defensive turrets, nerve gas, and other control measures, including tranquilizer syringes, high-temperature cutting ray bars, powerful electromagnetic confinement suction cups, and large vacuum suction fields. Numerous miniature cameras were installed in the walls, providing Phillip with round-the-clock surveillance. The defense was extremely tight to prevent prisoners from escaping.
However, on the way back, he extracted the Esper Gene from the prisoners every day, and everyone, including Slaik, appeared very weak.
Because of their superior resilience against Calamity Grade, Slaik received special attention, and their production capacity was more than five times that of others.
Han Xiao had already stockpiled several hundred bottles of Ability Potion, categorizing them and keeping some for his own use while selling the rest in the faction shop.
The interior of Number One Base is crisscrossed by bridges, resembling a honeycomb. As Han Xiao walks along the road, players can be seen everywhere, gradually becoming familiar with the new main city.
Many people cast their gazes at Han Xiao. He was a well-known NPC among the players and also a faction leader. When players saw him, they felt as if they were seeing a familiar and friendly person. Many people would take the initiative to greet him, and Han Xiao would nod in response.
With a backlog of tasks awaiting processing, Han Xiao checked Sylvia's homework, then returned to his room, took out a concentrated nutrition bar from the refrigerator, and chewed it while handling the tasks.
The first problem is cleaning up the mess left by the numerous player-sponsored missions.
Apart from Planet Sunil, most of the players who were on mercenary missions in various parts of the Garton Star System have returned after completing their tasks. This was the first large-scale mercenary operation of the Black Star Army, which Han Xiao took seriously. He had Phillip filter out the problematic records and check them one by one.
Of course, not all players have a smooth journey. Some players have low mission completion rates, and a small group even mess things up, making a complete mess of the mercenary work and damaging the Black Star Army's reputation. For the former Han Xiao will have Phillip sincerely apologize to the employer on behalf of the Black Star Army. For the latter, their mercenary file credit score will be lowered, which is equivalent to a criminal record, and the acceptable mission level will be reduced.
Since the goal is to expand the Black Star Army by relying on players, Han Xiao was prepared for the problems that would follow. At present, these are all minor issues, and the impact brought by players is naturally more beneficial than harmful.
The first large-scale hiring activity stabilized the reputation gained from the Goddora award ceremony.
Nowadays, employers in the Garton Star System prioritize hiring the local Black Star Army as their first choice for mercenaries. The Mercenary Alliance has recognized the Black Star Army's leading position in the Garton Star System, providing a continuous stream of high-quality local mercenary missions.
This has led to a situation where the mercenary business in the Garton Star System is gradually being monopolized by the Black Star Army. Although a star system may have a large population, the number of people it needs to employ as mercenaries may not be that many. Freelance mercenaries operating in the Garton Star System suddenly found that they could hardly find any high-quality jobs. The mission lists provided by the Mercenary Alliance were mostly for jobs with meager pay.
The free mercenaries were extremely envious of the business the Black Star Army enjoyed. Many realized that if the Black Star Army continued to develop in this way, the backlog of mercenary jobs in the Garton Star System would eventually be completed, and then the Black Star Army would snatch up any new mercenary jobs. They, the free mercenaries, might end up with no work, which was a terrible prospect.
The rise of the Black Star Army was unstoppable, and the free mercenaries in the Garton Star System exhibited three trends: the first was to remain content with the status quo regardless of future developments; the second was to leave the Garton Star System and find work elsewhere.
The third option is to apply to join the Black Star Army.
Many freelance mercenaries have chosen this path. The Black Star Army has grown in size and has an excellent reputation. Since the Black Star Army has a tendency to monopolize the mercenary business in the Garton Star System, joining Black Star is a good choice. It's good to have a powerful backer and turn from a victim into a beneficiary, enjoying the benefits of Black Star's business.
Han Xiao's business strategy included improving his reputation through players to attract freelance mercenaries. After players joined, the number of players had increased to hundreds of thousands, the infrastructure was basically complete, and the funds were plentiful. Therefore, he did not plan to control the number of players. Instead, he had Phillip screen the backgrounds of the freelance mercenaries who applied to join, weeding out those who were obviously just trying to freeload and keeping the capable and successful mercenaries.
The first batch of selected freelance mercenaries numbered approximately six to seven thousand.
However, this number will change. Han Xiao had Phillip send a notice to the mercenaries, setting a date for them to come to Number One Base for an interview in fifteen days. It is estimated that some people will be eliminated at that time, and those who remain will be the new mercenaries who are truly recruited into the Black Star Army.
Recruiting more freelance mercenaries is a crucial part of the Black Star Army's expansion.
The second pending event is also related to the player.
Having completed their first solo hiring mission, these players gained a concrete understanding of the interstellar environment and mission procedures. Many players on the forums shared the difficulties they encountered while carrying out hiring operations.
Han Xiao also paid attention to this issue. In his previous life, he had also experienced the stage where players were not used to the environment when they first entered interstellar space, so he had some idea of what was going on. He was basically aware of the difficulties that players would encounter.
A year before the launch of version 2.0, he built a mechanical production line that, in addition to manufacturing mechanical equipment, also produced auxiliary items to enhance players' skills.
Now that players finally have this demand, Han Xiao plans to put these mechanical items into the faction shop. Just in time, most players will be returning to Number One Base after completing the first wave of hiring, so sales will definitely be booming and Tu Shu will be in high demand.
In the shop area of Number One Base, people were constantly coming and going; this was the area with the highest player density.
Although you can order online through Phillip, you can only see the actual product in the store area, which is also where you pick it up.
Many players used their newly acquired rewards to buy equipment.
Just then, the faction shop suddenly refreshed, and a series of new items were placed at the top, each with a prominent "New!" icon in the upper right corner.
"New products already?"
"Let's see what it is."
Every store update attracts a lot of attention from players, and this time is no exception.
Beep beep beep--
Amidst the crowd, the sounds of communicators rang out continuously, creating a cacophony. Many people took out their communicators to check, only to see that Phillip' auxiliary program had also released a notification of a store update, which could be viewed in the pre-order list.
Soon, players discovered that the update didn't include combat equipment.
The introduction of the new product immediately catches the eye:
[[Small-scale Land Leveling Core] -- Quickly alters a small area of terrain, turning it into a flat open space, which can be used to build temporary outposts. Specific parameters are...]
[Multi-functional Airdrop Pack] -- Contains various machines needed for airdrops, adapting to various emergencies encountered during airdrops...
[Portable Mini Folding Bunker] -- Can be deployed in open space to form a temporary alloy fortress as a defensive position, equipped with weapon slots and basic warning functions...
[Automatic Defense Turret] -- Large-caliber autocannon, comes with 1000 rounds of steel-core ammunition and 300 rounds of armor-piercing discarding sabot ammunition, providing some fire support...
[[Patrol and Guard Post] -- A small Reconnaissance robot with Reconnaissance, patrol, and guard functions, which can be used as a sentry post...]
[Anti-interference electromagnetic bracelet - provides a certain degree of resistance to electromagnetic interference and data intrusion...]
[Portable high-powered electromagnetic interference device] -- interferes with the operation of machinery within a certain range...
[[Nuclear Magnetic Propelled Flight Backpack] -- Provides long-duration flight capability, with a self-destruct function...]
[Stress resonator] -- Adjusting the vibration frequency can cause widespread shattering of metal and concrete structures...
[Worker Bee Armor] -- Individual mining armor used for collecting ore and fuel, equipped with multi-functional digging tools and an energy mining gun. The armor has a high load capacity and is suitable for transporting ore...
Players face complex environments when undertaking mercenary missions, with varying requirements, including but not limited to infiltration, pursuit, gathering, Reconnaissance, Assassination, and direct combat, and unexpected situations can easily arise.
The machines Han Xiao added, while not equipment to enhance combat power, are adaptable to many situations and are considered tactical items. They effectively improve players' ability to handle unexpected events and enhance their professional skills as mercenaries.
These machines aren't technologically advanced, but they're exactly what players need; they're inexpensive and practical auxiliary items.
For example, the machine gun turret is something Han Xiao created a long time ago. He has been using the turret strategy, but only now is he selling it to players on a large scale. He hasn't put the more advanced electromagnetic turrets or energy turrets on sale yet. What he's selling are gunpowder turrets. Since the average player is currently around level 70, gunpowder turrets are still useful.
Currently, some Mechanic Class enthusiasts are able to manufacture some of these products, but in terms of quality, cost, and production capacity, their cost-effectiveness is far lower than directly purchasing products from the Black Star Army.
These functional items perfectly meet the new needs of players.
"It seems quite useful."
"I was just about to accept a job offer; this new product launch is very timely."
Many players were pleasantly surprised.
Not only the players at Number One Base, but also those doing missions on Sunil or other planets, received Phillip's notification and were all tempted.
Especially for the 200,000 players on Planet Sunil, dealing with the Calamity required facing complex wilderness situations and clearing underground veins of the Whispering Stone. The appearance of the [Worker Bee Armor] was a lifesaver.
With limited stock, players rushed to buy the new products. These new products were inexpensive and in high demand. In less than twenty minutes, the stock was sold out, and all orders were placed. Many people were even willing to pay to pre-order.
Players have become accustomed to the Black Star Army's "growth-oriented faction" characteristics. They feel that this time, it was clearly the Black Star Army players who worked together to drive the faction's development, which is why this wave of equipment was updated. Looking at the new products in the faction shop, many players felt a sense of accomplishment.
After adding these auxiliary items, Han Xiao also observed the sales situation. Because they were functional items, they were positioned as cheap and affordable, and the prices were relatively low. However, after selling all the inventory, his funds soared in less than half an hour, and players' money poured into his personal account.
This deal netted them a whopping 6.6 million Enas!
With Noriosse's financial support and the proceeds from the previous sale of equipment inventory, Han Xiao's savings reached 44 million Enas!
This is a huge sum of money.
"The funds are plentiful. With this money, I can build a mechanical legion at will." Han Xiao was very satisfied.
With so much money, it could last a long time if used only by oneself, but clearly, these funds also need to be used to maintain the Black Star Army Black Star Army's operations and support its expansion.
Han Xiao's development blueprint for the Black Star Army is very ambitious. He plans to use the Garton Star System as a base, select dozens of important NPC resource planets, continuously establish branch bases, turn the Garton Star System into the Black Star Army's headquarters, firmly control the mercenary business here, and even form a monopoly.
Then expand operations to other star systems, establish branch bases in those systems, and expand step by step. This will require spending money in many areas, such as acquiring a large number of spaceships, recruiting a large number of personnel, and establishing cooperative relationships with more forces, etc.
The mercenary group identity was just a stepping stone; Han Xiao's real goal was to build a super-large armed force, with the War Realm serving as a precedent.
The estimated cost of this blueprint is an astronomical figure that he himself could not estimate.
All he knew was that the money he had now was far from enough.
The task is arduous and the road ahead is long.
"However, this can't be developed in a short time. Anyway, the sales channels have been established and profits are flowing in steadily, so I don't need to be particularly frugal."
Han Xiao smiled, took out his communicator, and ordered a large quantity of machinery materials from his long-term raw material supplier.
Finally, I have some free time to thoroughly upgrade all my combat equipment to Calamity Grade!
"Hopefully, there won't be any more unexpected incidents like the Purple Snake Space Pirate Group' incidents recently..." Han Xiao thought to himself.